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Retirement in the Backyard of Popular East Coast Resort Destination is Hard to Resist Cost-of-Living:  Meets the National Average Sun City Hilton Head is located in Bluffton, South Carolina, a fast-growing town (population 6,000) roughly 20 miles from Savannah, Georgia and 20 miles from Beaufort, South Carolina.  It is also adjacent to Hilton Head Island, the major summer resort and tourist destination.  For anyone seeking a well-planned development, one with top-notch amenities in the backyard of one of the nation's top summer playgrounds, this community may be the way to do it without breaking the bank.
	Sun City is a Del Webb active adult community, spread across 4,300 acres of South Carolina Lowcountry, and is offering single family homes and town homes ("villas") for sale.  Pulte is the real estate builder here; model home prices start at $175,000 for a 2 bedroom, 2 bath town home (duplex) with 1,270 square feet, a great room, a kitchen with an eating nook, a lanai and a 2-car garage.  Resale homes start a little higher.   Single-family homes (model homes) start at $190,900 for 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, 1,100 square feet, a patio, a great room and a 2-car garage.  There are 16 different home designs, and prices for both the town homes and single-family homes increase roughly $5,000 to $10,000 from design to design until topping out at $372,900 for a home with 3 bedrooms, 3 baths and 2,600 square feet.  The resale model will cost another $40,000.  Call 800-978-9781 for more information.
Much of life at Sun City revolves around the Town Square, a 45-acre community recreation campus that boasts a 17,000 square foot social hall with lectures, workshops, dances, concerts and more than 80 chartered clubs. The Purrysburg Fitness Center has a dance and aerobics studio, fitness equipment and two swimming pools. Residents enjoy tennis, croquet, horseshoes, bocce, bicycling, softball, fitness trails, and fishing and boating on the 20-acre Lake Somerset.   There is also an extensive walking trail, a one-mile long elevated boardwalk that meanders through acres of wooded land and wetlands.  Gardeners will be delighted by the community garden that has 57 fenced  20’ x 20’ plots for lease.  The  Yemasee Crafts Center has workshops for ceramics, painting and sewing, as well as a computer lab and a fully-equipped, 6,250-square-foot workshop, something not found in many active adult communities. Golf is a way of life in South Carolina, and Sun City has two of its own golf courses, the 18-hole Okatie Creek Golf Club with a 10,400 square foot clubhouse, and the Hidden Cypress Golf Club, which has a restaurant, fitness center and a 5,000 square foot heated pool.  Many more courses can be found throughout the area. Hilton Head Island is the second largest barrier island on the eastern seaboard and is 12 miles long and 5 miles wide.  It attracts tourists and vacationers from all over the world; its year-round population is roughly 34,000, but that number blossoms to nearly 275,000 people during the summer months.  It popularity has lead to growth restrictions, and as a result, development has spilled over into nearby communities, which is the case with Bluffton.   To manage the situation, Bluffton city leaders have begun to annex surrounding land, and in the last five years, Bluffton has grown from 640 acres (one square mile) to 32,000 acres, although much of this land is currently open space.  One day, however, it will be the site of planned housing developments and business parks.  This rapid growth is something to weigh if considering retirement here.  If, however, growth is not an issue, then there is more to do here than in many other retirement destinations.  Hilton Head boasts the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, the 120 member chorus of the Hilton Head Choral Society, the renowned Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra, the largest annual outdoor wine tasting event on the East coas and the Verizon Heritage, a PGA golf event.  All this in addition to beach activities, dining and shopping or simply enjoying a drive up the coast. Excellent medical care is also available at the nearby Coastal Carolina Medical Center, a full service hospital, and at Bluffton/Okatie Outpatient Center, which provides physician services, physical therapy and wellness programs. On-site ambulance service is available to five major hospitals located within 30 miles of Sun City. The climate is considered mild; 70s and 80s are common during the summer, although temperatures can reach into the 90s with 75% humidity.  Winter temperatures average in the 50s and 60s.   Each month sees 3 to 6 inches of rain, and the sun shines 65% of the time on average.